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Sunday, November 4, 2012

Totally tastes better than thin s'more cheesecakes

So a while back I noticed the local supermarkets all stopped selling the chocolates I like to eat.

Like some type of chocolate deprivation conspiracy, they slowly started disappearing off the shelves.

I know y'all are saying with the amount of stuff I bake what are you even doing buying chocolates. But that is beside the point.

I
told my friend expecting her to be full of sympathy. "I know" she said
in a consoling voice, the shop I used to buy the chocolates I like from
stopped selling them and now I have to buy them at a different supermarket and they
cost a dollar more.

That is totally NOT the same, having to pay a dollar more compared to NEVER again having your favorite chocolate.....

Not even close to the same :)

Anyway......lacking consolation from my friend I turned to these s'more cheesecakes.

* In the interest of being honest and responsible lots of
things taste better than thin, but in our household we mostly eat a
healthy diet with lots of vegetables, fruit, dairy etc to balance out
the sweet treats I make. The kids also have an active lifestyle with many activities including swimming, tennis, dancing and basketball.

They actually taste better than my favorite chocolates, but sadly they do not come individually wrapped already made.

In Australia S'mores are not really well known. Probably because we do not have graham crackers readily available which is one of many life mysteries I have never really understood.

Anyway luckily if you can not find graham crakers you can whip up your own pretty easily. CLICK HERE for a link to Martha Stewart's graham cracker recipe. I actually used my own recipe which is not listed below and cut them quite thin so they were like delicious little spoons.

Oh and there is a happy ending to the chocolate story, I found a shop not far from my house that sells the chocolates I love. I'm a regular shopper there now.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese using an electric mixer at
medium speed until smooth. If the cream cheese is still lumpy it will
show up later when you mix in the chocolate, so take the time now to
make sure it is mixed well. Add the condensed milk and mix until well
combined. Reduce speed to low
and add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just
combined.

Add the chocolate and mix at low speed until combined.

Spoon or pipe mixture into jars.

I baked my cakes in a tin which I poured boiling water into. It results in the cheesecake texture being a bit creamier. You can either do as I did and use the hot water/baking tin method, or bake the cheesecake jars directly on a baking tray.

Alternatively you can bake the cheesecake mixture in muffin tins lined with paper cases.

Bake for around 15-17minutes.

Melt the dark chocolate with the cream in the microwave at medium low heat for bursts of 45 seconds until it is smooth.

Divide the mixture between the cheesecakes spooning into the top of the jars.

(If you are making the cheesecakes in muffin cases instead of jars just reserve the chocolate sauce to pour over cakes when serving)

Make the marshmallow frosting.

Pop the egg whites and sugar into a large clean metal bowl from a stand mixer and stir together until just mixed, the sugar will start to melt into the whites.

Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the mixture reaches 60C ( 140F) making sure to stir frequently to stop the egg whites from cooking.

Place the bowl back on the mixer and beat on high speed until the meringue is thick and glossy and forms stiff peaks.

Spoon or pipe the marshmallow frosting onto the top of the cheesecakes and place into the grill to toast. Be careful to ensure the tips do not catch fire. It's a good idea to check where the heating elements are and make sure the frosting is not directly below them.

Of course if you have a little kitchen torch you can use that to toast all around the marshmallow frosting.

Serve with graham crackers.

Recipe by Linda Vandermeer

Linda Vandermeer is a mum, wife, blogger and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:

18 comments:

I agree, there are lots of things that taste better than thin! Sometimes I look at the skinny minnies having their celery stick and glass of water and think to myself "Really? You gave up chocolate and cheesecake and all the other things that make life worth living for that?"